How do I order company to stop/start without affecting the attached scouts?

[Ryan_ Murphy]

Patrick,

I ran through several manuevers as described above in an attempt to duplicate this and the units/formations are doing as you wrote. I admit I haven't seen this in a while and I hope I never do again.
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Kneecaps,

The main thing to maintain your formations in the direction you wish for them to travel is not to let them reach the last node otherwise they will orient north like Patrick says.

 

[kneecaps]

Understood, another small 'issue' (well not really), what do you guys do with your CO and XO 'company' units? If I want control individual platoons the CO and XO begins to feel like a spare part.

I suppose what I'm asking is...how are these units supposed to move in relation to the company platoons?

 

[Pat Proctor]

They would normally position themselves in a position where they can best control the whole unit. So, if your company is doing seperate, platoon operations, you would place them in the middle of the two platoons, for instance. You might try pulling the platoons you want to control OUT of their companies. Then you can control the Company headquarters units using their flag, without influencing the detached platoons.

 

[Ryan_ Murphy]

Kneecaps,

This may not help answer your question, but I hope it does.

Move them independently (i.e., units) and safeguard them. If they are lost you can't issue company level orders until you reorganize the company with the hierarachy tree. (see p.26 & 68) Keep the following in mind as well:

To give orders, SOP's, or paths to units, you should turn off platoons and companies using Platoon and Companies from the Echelon sub-menu of the View menu, respectively. If you attempt to order units while platoons and comapnies are visible, you may inadvertently click on a hierarchy, causing unexpected results.

This way you don't accidently wind up issuing orders thinking that they only apply to the CO and instead the orders wind up affecting the whole company.

 

[kbluck]

Move them independently (i.e., units) and safeguard them. If they are lost you can't issue company level orders until you reorganize the company with the hierarachy tree. (see p.26 & 68) Keep the following in mind as well:

One possibly surprising side effect of this method: Assigning a path to a unit has the effect of detaching it from its heirarchy. Doing this to both the CO and XO in a tank company, for example, renders the company "leaderless" and therefore unable to accept orders until you explicitly reattach some unit capable of company command.

I think it would be ideal if the company HQ had its own "platoon" marker. This might seem like something that could be done with the scenario editor, but unfortunately I believe in ATF making the CO subordinate to a platoon would prevent it from commanding the whole company.

If in fact you don't want the company echelon operable for a time, I think the least error-prone solution is to temporarily attach the company-command capable units to line platoons. At least then they don't have to be manipulated separately.

--- Kevin

 

[Ryan_ Murphy]

Kevin,

Point well taken. Thanks.